Oh today, what would appear on the outside, to an onlooker, as an ordinary day, filled at times with tears…..was, in actuality, a day filled to the brim!! NO, dare I say, overflowing with tiny gifts wrapped up in string sent from God above. He rained on me joy after joy after joy…. all because I WAS LOOKING, I WAS CHOOSING TO SEE them….they are always there, but sometimes the stresses, pains, and expectations of life so easily drowned them away to the background, to be faded, forgotten….overlooked and never counted, stored, pondered or treasured.

Today, instead of just letting a day go by, I chose to practice the art of storing up “thanksgivings”…..and, wow! What I found was to be a chest, a chest overflowing with gifts from God…

Here are just a few:

1) waking up just in time to hear my son’s excited voice squealing, “huh??? WOW!….Look Ethan, look!!!!” Yes, this was the discovery of a gift left to him by the tooth fairy ( a tooth fairy that didn’t forget again!!) LOL

2) my little preschoolers walking in the door, even though I was tired. They bring sunshine right through that front door and brighten the whole house up.

3) seeing my patient and passionate Ethan on the floor teaching little Will (our preschooler) how to build the best block tower!

4)My Helaina running upstairs to bring her special Polly Pockets down to bless little Ava and Anna (my girly preschoolers) during center time, and watching her so sweetly oblige to dressing them a few hundred times

5)Hearing sweet wisdom come from sweet Ava’s mouth, “if I am scared, I just tell myself to FACE MY FEARS, and PERSEVERE!!”

6)Seeing the excitement in my older kids’ eyes as I revealed to them that they were going to be the Easter Bunnies today for the preschoolers and hide eggs for them!

7)reading a bible story at snack time

8) watching the kiddies giggle as they discover round eggs of color….and shaking them to hear the candy inside!

9)Walking outside when our preschool day was done to the SUN SHINING ON OUR FACES!

10) after saying sweet goodbyes to the kiddies, walking inside to see my kids having their own Easter egg hunts with each other and LOVING playing together!! (this is why I homeschool)

11) Isabella offering to make the whole family fried eggs for lunch

12) eating the BEST fried egg EVER for lunch

13) Ethan running right to his school work after the kiddies left to work hard to finish early!

14) seeing Helaina tackle hard math problems on her own and getting them right after struggling

15) Isabella wiggling a stubborn tooth till it finally pops out for us!!!!

16) Ashton running upstairs right after his friends leave to put on his Kung-Fu uniform (Ethan’s old one) as he dreams of next year’s Kung-fu class at GCA homeschool

17) Ethan teaching Ashton Kungfu moves in the family room…..so so so cute!

18) curling up on the couch with Helaina’s bible devotion and learning about how Mary pondered many things in her heart of loving memories

19) Helaina telling me that one thing she ponders, and treasures in her heart is Christmas morning and daddy telling us we were adopting!!!!

20) Helaina drawing a picture of that memory as I cuddle with her

21) Ethan spilling flashcards all over the place….as he tries to carry too much stuff

22) my sweet boy not leaving the mess for me to re-organize…he sat with me till every card was in the exact order it was originally found, and having fun doing it together with me!

23) Isabella taking all day to do Math….most days it frustrates me, today it made me giggle

24) Isabella and Shreya (Bella and LayLay’s neighborhood best friend) dropping everything to go the Glasgow Medical Center with a very scared LayLay to emotionally support and be there for her

25) a faithful daddy who drops everything to come home to take Helaina to the doctors

26) three sweet girls and a very awesome (and, might I add handsome) daddy coming home with Rita stained lips

27) Ashy’s HUGE smile with his best friend Aubrey coming home unexpectedly (no work for JEN today) and ready to play with him…..

28) Aubrey and Ashy playing ALL day together!

29) Isabella finishing her Math with a good score!

30) 6 nice plates full of pasta, meatballs and sauce…..NO ONE COMPLAINING

31) watching a few minutes of Finding Nemo with my boys while waiting for the girls to come home

32) my kids, other’s kids, friends….all jumping on the trampoline and riding bikes

33) My good friend Tammy stopping by to say Hi and making AShy’s day(after Aubrey left for baseball) for playtime with Avery!

34) Talking on the phone with my sister…..laughing, encouraging….planning concert trips and Easter dinner! (realizing that it’s been the hard times that have brought us closer)

35) getting all my laundry folded while watching TV by myself….as kids play outside

36) Brian playing guitar

37) getting flowers (weeds) brought to me in a scrunched up little hand from the sweetest 5 yo boy ever!

38) being outside till the sun goes down

39) neighbors…..thanking God for neighbors, they make being outside fun!

40) waiting for kids to shower while catching the end of the movie : Old Dogs while cuddling on the couch with my hubby

41) Family night watching American Idol performances and results (bye Stefano 🙁 )

42) cuddling with the kids watching AI

43) fighting Isabella for the rest of the Bacon Ranch cheddar popcorn!! 🙂 LOL

44) Ashton falling asleep in my arms

45) daddy carrying him upstairs

46) Isabella considering choices that challenge her to go out of her comfort zone

47) her asking my advice and praying over her for a peace from God, knowing He’ll give it to her

48) planning a date with my hubby on Saturday to go Easter shopping

49) a Grandmom who agrees to watch them (WOOHOO)

50) caterpillars growing big, promising days of butterfly wings (knowing this will bring HUGE smiles)

51) laundry baskets full of dirty clothes, sink full of dirty dishes because we were too busy enjoying each other

52) looking around and seeing books, pencils, math notes, cars in the bathroom, jammies on the steps, shoes by the door….all evidence that my house is full of LIFE

53) baby bottles full of spare change lined up on our table….given from little sweet hands in sacrifice to help us bring home our baby from China

50) a quiet house, everyone sleeping, me finding time to Blog and record the treasured revelations and moments that I tucked in my heart through out the day

….and the list goes on…..

WOW, what a difference can be made in one’s life when you choose to be thankful and abandon yourself to a God who overflows your cup with joy. And, that was just a sample of what I found….there were so many more…so many.

When you are aware of being thankful, God’s presence overflows…..and you just See HIM, the one who pours down gifts from above. You discover God in every moment…..He is there

I challenge you to take a day, even a moment and live that moment to the fullest…..thank God for what the moment is holding. Dare to live fully…right where you are.

Here is a book that has refreshed and renewed my mind. The author Ann Voskamp, has taught and reminded me of a passion that I have always held dear and true to….I have always simply called it ” Stopping to Smell the Flowers” (hence, the name of this blog)

But, this book goes a step further. This book challenges you to write 1000 blessings. It challenges you to put on a whole new set of eyes to see the deep thankfulness in both the good and the bad. A task not humanly possible….but, with God, all things are possible.

This author has seen and endured GREAT PAIN….she has lived most of her life in bondage to that pain, but she had a life- transformation and revelation from God, and she writes about it in this book. I will leave you with this line of hers that is so powerful:

” Every breath is a battle between grudgery and gratitude and we must keep thanks on the lips so we can sip from the holy grail of joy.”

I encourage you to join me in reading her book. This one act, one choice…..can change your life!

RUN to the store, click on Amazon, download to your KINDLE….I don’t care how you do it, but you MUST get this book now!!!!

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

and, HERE is a letter from the author herself! Here is her video and blog

And the is the best part!!! I believe in this book sooooooooo much, that I have a GIFT FOR YOU (my five or six readers out there) ;). You only need to leave a comment here on my blog telling me just one thing you are thankful for in this very moment. I will do a random drawing on EASTER monday night and one of you will get a FREE book!!!!! I can’t wait to give it to someone!!!
I only ask that you enter the drawing IF and ONLY IF you PROMISE to read the book!!! Nothing brings me more delight then a friend reading a book that I recommended!!! That is a gift in and of itself. 🙂

Now go be thankful!! 😉